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Neeraj Sharma Charged with H1-B Visa and Naturalization Fraud

Neeraj Sharma (43), Piscataway, NJ resident and owner and chief executive officer of Indian IT staffing company Magnavision arrested today for allegedly submitting 11 fraudulent H-1B visa applications as well as fraudulently procuring his own citizenship.

Magnavision, located in Somerset, NJ offers information technology staffing and consulting services to clients in need of IT support.

According to the court documents and statements:

Sharma recruited foreign workers with purported IT expertise who sought work in the United States. When submitting the potential staffers’ H-1B visa paperwork to U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services, Sharma falsely represented that the foreign workers had full-time positions awaiting them at a national bank, a prerequisite to securing their visas. In fact, Sharma had never secured work for the applicants and submitted phony letters to USCIS on the bank’s letterhead with forged signatures of bank executives. The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability.

The complaint against Indian IT staffing company owner Neeraj Sharma includes two counts:

One count of visa fraud

One count of naturalization fraud

Neeraj Sharma is scheduled to make his initial appearance on February 5, 2019 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.

Potential Penalty

On the visa and naturalization fraud charges, Neeraj Sharma faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison.

In addition to the prison time, both H1-B visa and naturalization fraud charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000.

Neeraj Sharma must be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.